The appearance of John the Baptist tells us that we have reached the Second Sunday of Advent. John arrives as a voice out of the wilderness, proclaiming that we need to repent and to prepare for the one who will come after him. It’s a shocking message, delivered by what we might describe as a ‘wild man’. John’s appearance indicated a lifestyle devoid of much material goods, he was focused on his task which was to prepare people for the coming Messiah.
We learn a little bit about Jesus from John and his message of the Messiah must have been inspiring to many. But what were the real expectations people had for the Messiah? To this we need to look at Isaiah and the promise to come from a ‘shoot that shall come out of the stump of Jesse’. In our passage from Isaiah this Sunday we discover what the Messiah is promised to deliver.
Text: Isaiah 11: 1-10
Questions for Sunday
- What part of the passage from Isaiah do you find most fascinating? Why?
- How might people living under foreign occupation read this passage?
- Do you think that Jesus lives up to what is promised in this passage?
Prayer for Sunday
Heavenly Father, thank you for this Advent season. Soften my heart, open my mind and allow me to hear your word again, for the first time. Prepare me to receive your son, the Christ, the Messiah and may his birth remind me again of the peace you have for all creation. Amen.